The End

This is it, folks. This is my last blog that I will be writing in Ireland. It’s bittersweet. I am super excited to go home and see my family, but I am not quite ready to leave this place. I have learned so much here. I’ve learned more than Irish history and literature though. I have learned more about myself than I thought possible. I have learned how I want to live my life. I have learned to look at things in a different way. When I decided to go on this adventure I knew I would learn different things in the various classes that I took, but I am still in awe of the impact that this experience has made on my life and me as a person. Because of the impact that was given to me, I was supposed to impact Ireland in a positive way in return. This semester, one of the requirements was to take part in a service learning project. It was a little more than difficult to find something that fit the requirements. However, I was able to find something—I was able to help Geraldine in the kitchen for an event that Park Lodge was holding. Geraldine sure knows what she’s doing. I know she and the rest of her assistants appreciated the help that Emily, Sara, and I were able to give in the 4 hours that we spent in the kitchen. While we helped, we were also taught different cooking methods and tricks. I will definitely go home and put then into place as well some of the recipes that she taught us in the process of helping out in the kitchen. I was also able to meet Geraldine’s mother in the kitchen as well. I really enjoyed visiting with her as she told stories of her experiences that she has had. Ireland has changed my life—it’s changed me. I am not ready to leave, but I know that I will be coming back one day.